Reversing Idea and help for reversing a transverse trailer

Vennwood

Vennwood

Joined
Nov 15, 2007
Posts
241
Likes collected
260
Location
Nottinghamshire, UK
Funster No
849
MH
A Class
Exp
20+ but 30+ as a tugger
Hi All,

I'm in the process of going back to a Piaggio MP3 instead of towing a small car (A-frame or trailer) and it occurs to me that I will only be reversing a short distance - maybe even over grass and certainly not reversing down the M1. Sooo - Has anyone tried adding two removeable reversing stays between the trailer and tow bar just for the short distance you are likely to be reversing? If added to the outside edges of the trailer and attached to the tow bar cross section it would make the trailer rigid. I guess most of us will only reverse into a drive/camsite pitch or even just to turn around so the distance will be relatively short. I realise that it would scrub the trailer tyres but would it work? The stays would be removed once the reversing is complete. Has anyone tried this or other ideas to stop the trailer jack knifing?
 
I used to have one and found that if I took it slowly it was fine. As long as you have a camera that points down to the trailer/tow bar you should be fine. Inserting bars would strain the axle and damage the tyres.
 
I would think locking the trailer like that would damage the tyres unless you went perfectly straight.
I‘ve seen a bar being fitted to French transverse trailers but they have another parts that released on both wheels to enable them to rotate.
 
stevewagner said:
I used to have one and found that if I took it slowly it was fine. As long as you have a camera that points down to the trailer/tow bar you should be fine. Inserting bars would strain the axle and damage the tyres.
Click to expand...
Same here, short Armitage trailer with an MP3 can be reversed with care and a rear camera.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
I have seen in France a trailer that attached to the motorhome with two tow balls. The wheels were like two very big casters. This made reversing just like reversing a longer rigid vehicle.
I don’t know the manufacturers of this type of trailer. Maybe some on here know who makes them.
 
Vic said:
You could aways use a Hydratrail.
Click to expand...
Been there, done that and then got a proper sideways trailer.
glenn2926 said:
I have seen in France a trailer that attached to the motorhome with two tow balls. The wheels were like two very big casters. This made reversing just like reversing a longer rigid vehicle.
I don’t know the manufacturers of this type of trailer. Maybe some on here know who makes them.
Click to expand...
Remarque, very expensive.
 
We have been towing our Peugeot Metrolpolis MP3 in a trailer, see attached photo. No issue reversing in a straight line for 15m/20m, if taking it slow.

We also had the hydratrail, but it failed on two occasions. The weight of the scooter is 260kg and weight distribution is not even, so the hydratrail struggled to lift the front end, buckling the tow ball joint.
 

Attachments

  • 20210823_143016.jpg
    20210823_143016.jpg
    890.6 KB · Views: 178
  • 20210901_124055.jpg
    20210901_124055.jpg
    1.2 MB · Views: 179
glenn2926 said:
I have seen in France a trailer that attached to the motorhome with two tow balls. The wheels were like two very big casters. This made reversing just like reversing a longer rigid vehicle.
I don’t know the manufacturers of this type of trailer. Maybe some on here know who makes them.
Click to expand...
i believe these were counted as an extension to the over hang making them illegal on many vehicles

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Ridgeway said:
Yo Remorques work as you describe.
Click to expand...
I saw something like this at the Peterborough Show a few years ago - certainly looked the part but from memory a tad expensive.

My problem here is becoming one of consience - whichever option I come up with seems to cost more than I estimate and I have to ask myself what will be the most cost effective. I guess I'll have to stick with something like the Armitage transverse trailer. I may just try and fix a couple of stabilizing bars but will try it first. I just wondered if anybody had tried it out.
 
The trick on these type of trailers (there’s several that work with this principal) is that they have pivoting wheels
 
Just another thought....

Does anyone know if the Armitage transvers trailer can be loaded or moved when NOT connected to the motorhome? Just wondering that when we arrive on site - is it possible to unhitch the trailer (with MP3 loaded) and move it by hand? Does it balance ok with jocky whell down or is it unbalanced?

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
You could always have another jocky fitted to the rear to improve stability when not attached to van
 
When reversing a trailer if you are looking in a reversing camera or mirror and the trailer starts to turn to the right, then pull down with your right hand to bring it back into line and visa-versa for the left, remember to bring the steering wheel back to the straight-ahead position once the trailer is back to inline. If you want to initiate a turn then give the steering wheel a small flick in the opposite direction, then control the turn using the above method. Reversing a trailer just takes practice, if you can find a quiet industrial estate go and have a practice. The most common mistake that most people make is turning the steering wheel too much thus overcorrecting and wiggling there way down the road, if it all gets a bit out of hand then just pull forward to straighten it all out.
 
Hi.
On some Tri axle trailers,the back axle would " Self steer " ( NO SLALOMS AT SPEED ;) Loaded ) When you had to reverse,you would straighten up the three axles while going forward,,a BOLT would be then operated by an airline .this would plunge down and locate into a hole in a flange attached to the back axle,this made reversing easier as the wheels did not " Screw around " and lock at an angle while reversing. This sounds so simple ? :rolleyes: ...... BUT.... I am sure there are some " Metal butchers/welders " on the forum that would make this a simple task.GO ON....Get Brainstorming !!
Tea Bag
 
Vennwood said:
Just another thought....

Does anyone know if the Armitage transvers trailer can be loaded or moved when NOT connected to the motorhome? Just wondering that when we arrive on site - is it possible to unhitch the trailer (with MP3 loaded) and move it by hand? Does it balance ok with jocky whell down or is it unbalanced?
Click to expand...
Yes you can. This was one of the reasons I ditched the Hydratrail, you had to unload it every time if the pitch wasn't long enough to take the full set up.
The thing to remember when reversing a short trailer is to take VERY slowly as it will crab very quickly. If you can't correct the over steer, pull forward to straighten it up and go again.
 
TheTwoOfUs said:
Yes you can. This was one of the reasons I ditched the Hydratrail, you had to unload it every time if the pitch wasn't long enough to take the full set up.
Click to expand...
Excellent - thank you. Are you able just move it around loaded or can you load and unload while not connected up?

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
If we have an early start I load the scoot onto the trailer and leave it in the house garage then next morning just wheel it out and connect up. If it's loaded correctly it will be front heavy so will be stable (it has a jockey wheel as standard). Obviously you will have to be careful if your drive has a steep slope which might upset the balance while you are manoeuvring it round.
One thing to bear in mind is if your MP3 has the pressure sensor under the seat, you can't start it and walk it up the ramp, you will need to lock the bike upright and use the manual winch option to pull it up. You could of course ride it up but I wouldn't recommend it having seen a number of failures on YouTube.
 
the problem with adding rigid bar to assist in manoeuvring, is the very high stress this will place on those bars. if one snaps or detaches, you will quickly have a hole in you motorhome. Scrubbing the tyres on a loose or low friction surface is fairly easy, but not on a tarmac or concrete road

It is bad enough scrubbing the back pair on our tag axle, but with a 6ft overhang the wheels would travel sideways considerably more. Just asking for a tyre to pop off the rim or delaminate. Castering wheels solve this problem by allowing the wheels to turn in the direction of travel
 
I am not at all jealous of the set-up that TheTwoOfUs has,,,,,,,,,who am I kidding:cry:
 
PS when I bought my trailer it was configured with the ramp on the nearside. I asked them to change it round which they did (at my expense I might add). Because my hab door is on the offside if I got parked up against a hedge I wouldn't have been able to get the scoot off which I now can. As a result of my request I believe all the new trailers are capable of having the ramp on either side. And no, I didn't get a development fee ;). BTW if that last sentence is incorrect and they still aren't universal make sure you order one with the ramp on the correct side for your van.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
If you wanted to fit a rigid bar to allow you to reverse a short moment trailer, why not fit a decent (pneumatic ?) jockey wheel to each back corner of the trailer ? That way, when you want to reverse, you clip on the steady bar, wind down the two jockey wheels to lift the road wheels clear and reverse using the jockey wheel's castoring feature, a bit like the French remorque ?
 
I'm fine with the trailer but Just one final question - has anyone any experience regarding the Peugeot Metropolis trike? They are roughly the same size but a bit heavier and similar in price
 
You could always fit a caravan motormover to a trailer. Get to your pitch, unhitch and drive it exactly to where you want it.
It would work even better with a pneumatic jockey wheel instead of the hard plastic type.
 
Just an update and a further bit of help.
In the end I bought a Peugeot Metropolis as the deal and bike seamed right for me. A tad heavier than an MP3 but very similar in many ways. Unfortunately this has caused a little problem on the trailer front. Having decided on the Armitage transverse trailer I am informed that the Peugeot ground clearance is less than the MP3 and that the Metropolis grounds out at the top of the ramps. Armitage say they want an additional £240 (since reduced to £180) to replace the "standard ramp" with a set of three 2mtr ramps. I guess as a matter of principle it seems a lot to pay for what is a 15 inch extension on the ramp length. As a secondary issue the ramps would no longer fit underneath and would be strapped across the front of the trailer.
That's the background so my question is this. Would anyone (TheTwoOfUs for example) be able to tell me what the ground clearance of the MP3 is?
Secondly (and this is really pushing my luck) would it be possible to measure the distance from the front of the rear wheel to the point on the MP3 that is lowest to the ground. I can use these measurements to work out how high I need to raise the back wheel to clear the top of the ramp.

My idea is to fabricate say two pieces of 7 x 2 - one would be approximately 3ft long and the other 1 ft long and screw them together tapered front and back so they form a mini ramp and place in the centre of the ramp to catch the rear wheel. Once in place I would drill a hole through the wood and ramp and drop a bolt through to hold it in place The idea would be when the bike gets near the top of the ramp it rides up onto the 7 x 2 lifting the rear wheel then riding up onto the second 7 x 2 so you get a 4 inch rise on the back wheel that will hopefully give me enough clearance. I can't do this myself as there is an 8 week lead time for the trailer delivery.
Many thanks in advance.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 

Join us or log in to post a reply.

To join in you must be a member of MotorhomeFun

Join MotorhomeFun

Join us, it quick and easy!

Join us

Log in

Already a member? Log in here.

Latest journal entries

Back
Top